A Journey in Shipping to Costa Rica for a “Pura Vida” Relocation

Costa Rica Shipping – With the 2016 election on the horizon, be you Democrat or Republican you might be thinking of finding a new place to call home. Not many want to see either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in office for the next 4 years or beyond. Watching this from the outside instead of the inside of the USA you can see with clear eyes how far the life in the United States has fallen, no longer the land of the American dream.

So this was the tipping point for you and you have decided to start a new life my choosing Costa Rica relocation as the best alternative. You have come down to the country, enjoyed the lifestyle and decided to put up roots in the land of “Pura Vida”. During this process you normally do not want to leave everything behind, there are memories and a lot of money invested in making your house a home. Instead of buying all new items in Costa Rica you have decided shipping to Costa Rica is the best option but do not know a single thing about getting your things from wherever you are in the world to your new home in Costa Rica. It is scary putting your faith in a shipping company to make sure your valuables arrive safely and securely to Costa Rica.

First you need to decide what to bring and what to leave behind. Electronics and appliances are about double the price in Costa Rica than buying in the USA or Canada. Another things that is worth bringing if you need them are your tools. High quality tools in Costa Rica can run you an arm and a leg. But let’s forget about what to and not to bring, this is a decision that is up to you. What may be important to one person may not be to another.

So you have decided what you want to bring and it fills close to a 10 to 15 foot storage unit. If it is mostly boxes then you can palletize this and ship it as a less than container load. This will cut down the costs of shipping to Costa Rica. Many shipping companies will offer packing as an option but it is my recommendation to just find a local company in your area to do it, preferably a company someone referred you to. The reason being is this in about 99% of cases will be less than what the shipping company costs you. They normally contract it out and add a little on top.

If you are bringing a lot of furniture this can be shipping as well as a less than container but it will need to be crated to protect the shipment from damage during the voyage to Costa Rica. Normally if there is a lot of furniture then it is better to use a 20 or 40 foot container.

Getting Quotes?

For shipping to Costa Rica a less than container load or a full container load, go out there and get a few quotes to compare prices. Ask yourself these questions:

Do the people I talk to at the shipping company make me feel good inside?
Do they get back to me in a quickly?
When they answer my questions do I feel like I know what they are talking about?
Do they have an office in and do they offer customs processing in Costa Rica?

The last question is very important. The reason you need to ask this is getting a shipment to Costa Rica is the easy part. There are multiple companies that will pick up and bring your container or less than container to Costa Rica but not many actually take it through customs. Companies out there will say they are offering service to Costa Rica and the number seems a lot better than other quotes, but it might not include things like redestino, warehouse fees, delivery from port to San Jose, or many other fees that add up quickly. Don’t be caught in a situation where your container of shipment to Costa Rica is caught at the shipping terminal and ripe for the taking.

Always compare apples to apples when it comes to your quotes. There are multiple companies out there that offer door to door service, but only a few perform at a high professional level.

Tomorrow – Part 2 of A Journey in Shipping to Costa Rica for a “Pura Vida” Relocation – Companies that Include Costa Rica Import Taxes in their Quote Without Seeing an Inventory List, Step by Step to Delivery & Not Getting Screwed by Your Costa Rica Shipping Company. Click Here for Part 2.